Madysen Schrum, 10, holds a candle during the blessing of her fam- ily’s Minot, N.D., home in November. House bless- ings have become regular occurrences in Minot and nearby Burlington as more and more residents are able to return their homes or move into new ones.
“We are literally at the intersection of flood recovery and the oil boom,” said David Maxfield, a pastor of Christ Lutheran. “With it comes a bit of fear and uncertainty. There’s also a lot of hope and possibility.”
The view from this con- gregation’s parking lot gives a firsthand view of the oppor-
tunity. South of the church are homes in various stages of repair. On one lot, a new foundation is being dug; on a neighboring home, siding is being nudged into place; on another, plywood still covers windows in an abandoned home. Across the street from the church is an elementary school under construction. When finished, it will be dou- ble the size it was two years ago.
Redefining mission After the flood of 2011, Mark Narum, bishop of the West- ern North Dakota Synod, asked congregations to review their ministries before rebuilding. As a result, congrega- tions are examining who they are and what God is calling them to be in a community changing before their eyes. “My hope is that coming out of this flood, their minis-
tries will be Christ-centered in service of their neighbors. And they will discover what that means for each con- gregation,” Narum said. Nathan
Nathan Mugaas, an ELCA pastor, and his wife, Anne, didn’t decide until last July to rebuild their two-bedroom bungalow, which was flooded in 2011. Here, the couple fine tunes window trim placement in the guest bedroom. They expected to be back in the house for Christmas.
and Jeannine Schrum lost the ranch- style home they shared with their four children. For more than a year they lived with
family and in a neighbor’s camper while waiting for their house to be rebuilt. To celebrate the move into their new home last September, they asked Taryn Montgom- ery, pastor of Bread of Life Lutheran Church, to lead a house blessing.
“God was here alongside
us the whole time,” Jeannine Schrum said. “It seems right to have our house blessed.” In each room, Montgomery read Scripture and said a short prayer. Even the laundry room had its own bless- ing: “Oh God, you are our clothing, wrapping us in love.”
House blessings have become regular occurrences in Minot where yellow “We’ll Be Back” yard signs are slowly being exchanged for ones saying “We’re Back.” The ministry is a way to recognize healing. “It’s important to acknowledge that God is a part of our home and to ask the Holy Spirit to dwell among that family,” Montgomery said. “Church is not just a physi- cal building, it’s where our family, as part of the body of Christ, gathers.” When she left, Montgomery gave the Schrums a wooden cross to remind them that God was part of their home—no matter where it is.
A new normal A few blocks south of the Schrums, Nathan Mugaas and volunteers painted trim in the two-bedroom bungalow he and his wife, Anne, expected to finish before Christmas. In the congregation he serves, Zion Lutheran, about 80 families lost their homes. So did both pastors. He and Anne didn’t decide until last July to rebuild. “It’s hard to move on when you’re constantly in a
state of chaos,” Mugaas said. “We will get back to nor- mal, but we also recognize that normal [for Minot] will be a state of change.” Zion is exploring what it means to be a neighborhood congregation to a neighborhood that didn’t exist six years ago when it moved to the southern edge of the city. Examining its mission means asking questions about what it means to be a church to oil workers, a largely transient population. “How do we welcome? How do we reach out? These are the questions we’re asking,” Mugaas said. Similar questions are being asked by Peace Lutheran Church in Burlington, a few miles northwest of Minot. It lost nearly half its building when floodwaters poured into the basement, which housed Sunday school rooms and a community food pantry. The destruction came when membership was declin- ing and the pastor had recently left. Six of the council’s nine members lost their homes in the flood.
Enter: Mission Builders In fall 2011, Peace underwent a formal redevelopment process. With the results, the congregation
Froslie, a freelance writer, is publications director at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
January 2013 17
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